milkwoodmosaic

www.greenhomemagazine.co.za18 green home

milkwood

“milkwood trees are a protected species and take a very

long time to grow. We don’t trim them at all.” marcelino

henckert, hospitality manager, mosaic, is talking about

the centuries-old grove hemming the lagoon where the tranquil sanctuary

is situated on a 933-hectare former dairy farm, just over two hours’ drive

from Cape Town.

A safari-style lodge, four self-

catering units and the skilfully restored

Spookhuis all combine to form the boutique resort,

probably the only one in the area rendering dreamy views of both

the lagoon and the giant nodding heads of the Kleinrivier mountains.

It’s also a riveting 8km quad bike ride from Walker Bay where we saw a

whale youngster breaching six times in a row!

Built according to sustainability principles, mosaic’s green heartbeat

echoes through its entire five-star tourism offering. The name ‘mosaic’

signifies owners Breese and Kathryn Johnson’s kaleidoscope of dreams,

passions and milestones. The buildings are constructed from rocks

quarried on the farm itself, while dead milkwood branches serve as main

support structures. milkwood is repeated in the rooms as bathroom

fittings, while bath products come from rain in nearby Swellendam,

which specialises in handmade products from wild-harvested,

indigenous plants of Africa.

mosaic

WORDS: rIAnA geldenhuyS IMAGES: provIded CourTeSy of moSAIC prIvATe SAnCTuAry

respect. That is what a creature deserves when it’s been gracing this earth for a thousand years of more. And that’s precisely what the owners of the mosaic private Sanctuary near Stanford, Cape overberg, showed the land’s ancient milkwood trees when they built their eco-friendly retreat around them on the edge of the silvery hermanus lagoon.

GHM7 2012.indd 18 11/5/12 12:31 PM

www.greenhomemagazine.co.za 19green home

milkwoodmosaic

milkwood

“our buildings are designed in such a way that the air circulates

beautifully and one doesn’t need air conditioning. In summer you have

the full benefit of the ocean and lagoon breeze which automatically

cools down the rooms,” says henckert as we share a glass of raka

Spliced from the wine farm just outside Stanford. In fact, mosaic only

serves local wines including delightful ones from hermanus’s hemel-en-

Aarde valley.

The beetroot, tomatoes, pumpkins, baby marrows, brinjals, onions,

garlic, spinach and herbs from which Chef Jurie Swart conjures

up his gourmet organic creations, are all freshly picked in mosaic’s

own vegetable garden. Cheese and cold meats are bought from

local factories, and salmon trout from a nearby farm. These are

complemented by jams and marmalades made at mosaic, and generous

pots of Bean There fair Trade coffee.

“most of the farm was covered with aliens such as port Jackson,

myrtle and rooikrans. So we’ve been inviting members of the

Stanford community, some of whom are masters in the age-old art of

mosaic

GHM7 2012.indd 19 11/5/12 12:31 PM

woodcutting, to cut these down. We keep a few bundles for our self-

catering guests and give the rest to the woodcutters to sell as firewood

and supplement their income.”

Speaking about mosaic’s plans to join fair Trade, henckert says they

want to start wet waste composting and recycling systems as well as

a grey water plant. “for that we’ll definitely call in experts, as we’re

situated right on the lagoon and don’t want to take any risks.” mosaic

currently uses borehole water and septic tanks. They have also installed

energy-saving bulbs, wrapped their geysers in blankets, use pool timers

and are proud earth hour supporters. “It takes time to be green and

when we tackle a project, we like to finish it.”

recently the set of Bollywood sequel Aashiqui 2, mosaic uses solar

jars as fairy lights. After charging all day, the tops of the glass preserving

jars light up the milkwood trees at night and can even be filled with

fynbos blossoms for weddings and functions.

mosaic’s main wedding venue is its historic Spookhuis. Built in an

english gregorian style the homestead was in a complete state of ruin,

its inside walls covered with graffiti dating back as far as the 1950s,

before it was restored with the help of architect gregg goddard in

2007. Today it is home to mosaic’s café, deli, picnic area, boules court,

conference centre and library, sporting books from the 1700s and maps

from the 1500s.

In the old moat around the Spookhuis the initials ‘C.p.’ are clearly

marked. They stand for Campbell poole, the brother of Jack poole

who lived here with his wife henrietta, their child and henrietta’s

mother, Agnes Stroud. The land was a gift from henrietta’s Scottish

father in 1892. With her husband often away on business trips and her

mother passing away, it all became just too much for the socialite. one

stormy night a distraught henrietta left the Spookhuis in a small boat,

clutching her favourite persian carpet under one arm and her baby

under the other, and crossed the lagoon for the very last time to settle

in hermanus.

for years afterwards boat owners ferrying passengers around

the lagoon said they saw an elderly lady with a lace parasol sitting

underneath the Spookhuis’s milkwood trees. however, when they

sailed closer, she always vanished. This is the tale of the ghost of Agnes

Stroud.

“Today mosaic is completely ghost-free,” henckert assures me after

my morning hike along the lagoon with well-informed guide octavia

mzimba. Spotting blue cranes and pink flamingos, mzimba also showed

me fynbos species such as wild dagga, a member of the mint family.

When dried and mixed with oil, it’s an unbeatable remedy for shingles,

he says.

remedy, or perhaps rather rejuvenation appears to be the magic

word at mosaic. Think sunset views from your private deck and outdoor

showers underneath the stars. The hand-written welcome card in my

Kingfisher rondavel room read: “may the dust of Africa settle in your

heart and leave you with fond memories of your stay.”

Indeed it did, and as I drove home past the lagoon’s moonshine Bay, I

carried with me a pocket of precious quiet.

milkwoodmosaic

www.greenhomemagazine.co.za 21green home

GHM7 2012.indd 21 11/5/12 12:31 PM